The L&D leaders you follow shape how you think, build, and grow. The right voices push your practice forward—challenging assumptions and offering ideas you can actually use. I've pulled together the most influential thinkers in the space: the practitioners, strategists, and innovators driving learning forward. Follow them to stay sharp, stay relevant, and bring better thinking back to your team.
Top 14 L&D Leaders
Below are the profiles of the top L&D leaders, covering who they are and the impact they've made in this space.
Josh Bersin
Global Industry Analyst & CEO
Oakland, United States
Focus area:
#Learning and development#HR technology#Skills strategy#Talent management#Future of work
Josh Bersin is a global industry analyst and CEO of The Josh Bersin Company. His research and advisory work examines HR, talent, workplace technology, learning, and organizational change.
His research explores learning…
Laura Overton
L&D Researcher, Author & Advisor
London, United Kingdom
Focus area:
#L&D strategy#Workplace learning#Learning innovation#Business impact#L&D capability
Laura Overton is an L&D researcher, author, and founder of Learning Changemakers. She has more than three decades of research into workplace learning, innovation, and business impact.
Overton established the Towards Maturity…
Donald H Taylor
L&D Researcher & Advisor
Focus area:
#Learning technology#Workplace learning#L&D trends#AI in L&D#Learning strategy
Donald H Taylor is an L&D researcher, advisor, and longtime chair of the Learning Technologies Conference. His experience spans workplace learning, technology, and professional practice.
Taylor created the annual L&D Global Sentiment…
Connect with Donald:
David James
Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning
London, United Kingdom
Focus area:
#L&D strategy#Digital learning#Performance improvement#Learning technology#Skills
David James is Chief Learning Officer at 360Learning and a people development leader with more than 20 years of experience, including senior talent and L&D leadership at The Walt Disney Company.
James…
Connect with David:
Michelle Ockers
Chief Learning Strategist at Learning Uncut
Tuross Head, Australia
Focus area:
#L&D strategy#Learning transformation#Operating models#Business impact#L&D capability
Michelle Ockers is founder and Chief Learning Strategist at Learning Uncut, where she helps L&D leaders build stronger learning strategies, operating models, capabilities, and business impact.
Ockers co-authored The L&D Leader with…
Connect with Michelle:
Megan Torrance
CEO & Founder at TorranceLearning
Ann Arbor, United States
Focus area:
#Instructional design#Learning technology#Learning analytics#Agile L&D#AI in learning
Megan Torrance is CEO and founder of TorranceLearning, where she leads workplace learning design and engineering. Her work spans learning strategy, technology, data, performance, AI, and analytics.
Torrance created the LLAMA agile…
Connect with Megan:
Dani Johnson
Co-Founder & Principal Analyst at RedThread Research
Ann Arbor, United States
Focus area:
#Workplace learning#Skills#HR technology#People analytics#Talent strategy
Dani Johnson is co-founder and Principal Analyst at RedThread Research, where she studies human capital practices and technology after leading Learning and Career research at Bersin, Deloitte.
Johnson researches learning, skills, careers,…
Connect with Dani:
Whitney Johnson
CEO at Disruption Advisors
Lexington, United States
Focus area:
#Leadership development#Personal growth#Organizational change#Talent development#Coaching
Whitney Johnson is CEO of Disruption Advisors, an author and leadership thinker whose work on personal disruption and the S Curve of Learning connects individual growth with team and company growth.
Through…
Marc Effron
President at The Talent Strategy Group
Mills River, United States
Focus area:
#Talent management#Leadership development#Performance management#Talent strategy#Executive development
Marc Effron is President of The Talent Strategy Group, a talent management advisor and author. He works globally with companies and institutions to strengthen talent and performance practices.
Effron co-authored One Page…
Connect with Marc:
Nigel Paine
Organizational Learning Author & Consultant
London, United Kingdom
Focus area:
#Organizational learning#Learning culture#Leadership development#Learning technology#Collective intelligence
Nigel Paine is an organizational learning author, researcher, and consultant whose work spans learning culture, leadership development, technology, organizational change, and workplace performance.
A former head of Learning and Development at the…
Connect with Nigel:
Kevin Kruse
Founder & CEO at LEADx
Philadelphia, United States
Focus area:
#Leadership development#Manager development#Behavior change#Microlearning#AI coaching
Kevin Kruse is founder and CEO of LEADx, a leadership development company that uses behavioral science, microlearning, coaching, and technology to help organizations build stronger managers.
Kruse writes extensively on leadership development…
Connect with Kevin:
Lori Niles-Hofmann
Senior Learning Strategist & Co-Founder at 8Levers
Toronto, Canada
Focus area:
#Learning technology#L&D strategy#AI in learning#Learning data#Performance support
Lori Niles-Hofmann is co-founder and Senior Learning Strategist at 8Levers, bringing 25 years of experience across learning technology, strategy, data, skills, and organizational transformation.
Her work examines how L&D can use data,…
Connect with Lori:
JD Dillon
Frontline Enablement Author & Advisor
Orlando, United States
Focus area:
#Frontline enablement#Workplace learning#Performance support#Learning technology#L&D strategy
JD Dillon is an author, speaker, advisor, and frontline enablement specialist with 25 years of experience across operations, talent development, technology, learning, and workplace performance.
Dillon wrote The Modern Learning Ecosystem and …
Dieter Veldsman, PhD
Chief HR Scientist at AIHR
Netherlands
Focus area:
#HR capability#Future of HR#People analytics#AI in HR#Employee experience
Dieter Veldsman is Chief HR Scientist at AIHR and a Professor of Practice at the University of Johannesburg, combining organizational psychology, HR leadership, research, and professional education.
Veldsman leads research and learning…
Connect with Dieter:
Selection Methodology
I selected the leaders on this list based on their relevance, demonstrated expertise and impact, professional credibility, and ongoing contributions to the field.
I look for evidence such as leading meaningful initiatives or delivering notable results within their organizations, developing influential ideas or practices, publishing research or educational resources, speaking or teaching, and other contributions that demonstrate impact within their work or the broader field.
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